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It was our last day on our safari with KLM Safaris and we wanted to enjoy every minute. We got up early at 6am, had a quick breakfast, and got ready to see the Ngorongoro.
DESCENDING INTO A DIFFERENT WORLD: THE CRATER
We caught up with the rest of our group and jumped into the jeep. An hour on the road we were on our way down to the caldera from the ‘crater rim’, 600m down from 2,400m to 1,800m. Going down that steep, winding road is an amazing experience. You almost feel like you are descending into a different world, an ancient world from millions of years ago. None of us would have been the least bit surprised if a T-Rex or a woolly mammoth would have rocked up from the bushes.
STEPPE AND A LAKE
Just like with the Serengeti, the first impression is that of a relatively monotonous landscape. Very flat steppe with not much in terms of distinctive features apart from a giant lake in the middle.
FLAMINGOS AND A GRAZING HIPPO
We reached the water and saw our first of many pink flamingos and a few white flamingos. A hippo was grazing on the embankment. There were some wildebeest. Jim told us that some of the older wildebeest don’t join their mates on The Big Migration. Lucky us.
MORE STALKING LIONS
There were two lions in the distance, probably some 300m away, who at first seemed to stalk a gazelle. Soon they became disinterested in their prey and started to fool around, scaring the gazelle away.
LAKES, HILLY WOODLANDS, AND OUR FIRST BABOONS
We drove for several miles past zebras to another, smaller lake, which was the home to a few hippos. The journey continued through hilly, at times thick, lush woodland, where we encountered vast numbers of baboons. There were several baby baboons, who rode on their moms’ backs, no more than 2 or 3m away from our truck.
SPOTTING A RHINO
In the far distance we spotted a gigantic herd of at least three or four dozen elephants and several giraffes. Then Tom suddenly shouted “rhino!” What were the chances!
I won’t lie, the rhino was just a black spot about 2km away from us. With binoculars you could spot its features well, though. Ellie managed to take a photo with her massive zoom lens which clearly shows the horn.
ZEBRA CROSSINGS
We continued on the road and were always happy to see the many zebras so up close and personal.
We know now why it’s called a zebra crossing. Fun fact: the first zebra crossing was installed on Slough High Street in the United Kingdom in 1951.
BABY ELEPHANT STAYING SAFE
On our way to the safari lodge we spotted more giraffes, elephants, buffalo and lions from less than 10m away, including an ultra-cute baby elephant. For a few moments it had looked like a lioness had marked the baby elephant for dinner. The predator was lying under a tree while the baby elephant and its mother were passing by. In the end, we were very pleased to see nothing happening. The lioness was simply having a lazy day.
NAPPING ON OUR WAY BACK TO ARUSHA
It officially still counts as another half day of safari. (We had booked 2.5 days.) However, as strange as it might sound, the other four guests and us were mostly sleeping on the way back to Arusha.
We saw a few more elephants, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, hyenas, buffaloes, some 50m to 100m away, while still close to Ngorongoro. However, after having seen so many of these cool creatures from so much closer, it wasn’t enough of a thrill to keep us awake.
STOPS AT A CAFÉ AND AT THE SAFARI STATION
About half an hour before we reached the safari station, we stopped at a roadside café. There were several shops that offered hand-made goods and Tanzanite. Our two fellow London travellers purchased bagfulls of souvenirs and gifts, including some of the famous, blue rocks. Ellie & I enjoyed some coffee and a snack.
ARRIVING BACK IN ARUSHA – GOODBYES AND WELCOME BACKS
At the safari station we picked up some luggage that the two ladies from London had left there. Then we continued our way to Arusha, where we arrived at around 5pm. We said our goodbyes and thanks to everyone and tipped our guide and our cook. Gileard, the owner of KLM Safaris, welcomed us back to civilisation, together with one of his drivers.
LUXURIOUS PLANET LODGE FOR THE LAST NIGHT
It took us another hour to drive past by the hotel where we had spent the night before the safari. We picked up our luggage and left a tip for the hotel staff. At around 7pm we arrived at the luxurious Planet Lodge, 10 minutes’ drive from Kilimanjaro International. Gileard joined us for a quick drink at the bar and we thanked him for the wonderful safari, before saying our goodbyes.
BACK AT THE AIRPORT AFTER TWO WEEKS IN TANZANIA
By 10pm we had finished our dinner, repacked all our gear for the air travel, and had a quick shower. The next morning at 5:30am we took the shuttle from the hotel to the airport. Compared with Gatwick or Heathrow, where nothing seems to work properly these days, JRO did an excellent job. No hick-ups. Two hours before departure, we were having some more food and hot drinks at a café close to the gate.
We highly recommend KLM Safaris 5 out of 5 in our book. Not in our wildest dreams would we have expected to see so many wild animals from such a close distance. Everything was well-organised and felt very safe.
